diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 079792af..f15af803 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ RUN set -eux; \
     esac; \
     apt-get update && \
     # Install curl, Python, and PostgreSQL client libraries
-    apt-get install -y curl python3 python3-venv libpq-dev && \
+    apt-get install -y curl python3 python3-venv libpq-dev redis-server && \
     # Install Node.js
     curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_${NODE_VERSION}.x | bash - && \
     apt-get install -y nodejs && \
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ COPY --from=builder /app .
 # Copy initialization SQL if it exists
 COPY init.sql /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/
 
-EXPOSE 8283 5432 4317 4318
+EXPOSE 8283 5432 6379 4317 4318
 
 ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh"]
 CMD ["./letta/server/startup.sh"]
diff --git a/letta/server/startup.sh b/letta/server/startup.sh
index 5d8d736a..94a8fd58 100755
--- a/letta/server/startup.sh
+++ b/letta/server/startup.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,29 @@ wait_for_postgres() {
     done
 }
 
+# Function to wait for Redis to be ready
+wait_for_redis() {
+    until redis-cli ping 2>/dev/null | grep -q PONG; do
+        echo "Waiting for Redis to be ready..."
+        sleep 1
+    done
+}
+
+# Check if we're configured for external Redis
+if [ -n "$LETTA_REDIS_HOST" ]; then
+    echo "External Redis configuration detected, using env var LETTA_REDIS_HOST=$LETTA_REDIS_HOST"
+else
+    echo "No external Redis configuration detected, starting internal Redis..."
+    redis-server --daemonize yes --bind 0.0.0.0
+
+    # Wait for Redis to be ready
+    wait_for_redis
+
+    # Set default Redis host for internal redis
+    export LETTA_REDIS_HOST="localhost"
+    echo "Using internal Redis at: $LETTA_REDIS_HOST"
+fi
+
 # Check if we're configured for external Postgres
 if [ -n "$LETTA_PG_URI" ]; then
     echo "External Postgres configuration detected, using env var LETTA_PG_URI"